keep looking up

Does the direction of your gaze really affect your mood? In the world filled with negativity, downward glances are all the norm. Look around and see which direction people are looking. You can tell a lot about what mood they’re in.

Consider the common terminology associated with the up and down directions. Some expressions of negative mood are: I’m feeling low. I’m down in the dumps. I’m feeling down. I can’t lift myself up. The positive, upward directional expressions are: I’m on top of the world. Things are looking up. I’ve got high inspirations. I feel uplifted, etc.

From the above examples its clear that our mood closely follows these directions. Happy, carefree mood and emotions are associated with the upward direction, whereas gloomy, negative feelings and emotions are associated with the downward direction. These are universal across all languages and cultures.

Even the very concept of heaven and hell is directionally based. Hell is commonly viewed as something existing deep down, beneath our feet, while heaven is understood as being somewhere elevated, high up above the clouds!

But why is that? Simply put, there is a physio-psychological correlation between the direction of your gaze and the state of your mood. There is another supporting explanation involving energies moving through our central nervous system particularly in the spine. The upward movement of energy results in a positive mood, while the downward movement results in a negative one.

No matter what causes this phenomenon, you can do a simple experiment right now. With your head facing forward, lift your gaze approximately 30 degrees up from looking straight ahead. With your eyes opened or closed, maintain this upward gaze for about ten seconds. This short time is enough to begin sensing an emotional upliftment.

Similarly, maintain your gaze until your mood noticeably improves. This simple exercise can be used anytime, (other than driving) when you’re feeling down and need an emotional lift. Use this technique yourself and spread the goodness by teaching it to others.